Full On Crawling

Well, it didn't take very long for Grace to go from crawlingish to crawling.  She's on the move now, and can really, really motor.

"Target identified.  Pursue and eat XBOX"

I love her crawling determination and form.  Grace only crawls when she sees something she wants, which is exclusively something she's not allowed to have like a shoe, a glass or Carrie's graded essays.  Plus, her single-minded drive and that one armed, dragging the body move she uses reminds me of the T-100 from the end of The Terminator, after it's been crushed in the factory but keeps relentlessly chasing after Sarah Connor.  She can't be bargained with. She can't be reasoned with. She doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And she absolutely will not stop, ever, until she tries to eat something fragile, important and/or dangerous.

More Like Crawlingish

I'm pretty sure that every parent thinks their baby is exceptional.  It's human nature to look at your kid and see someone that's smarter or stronger, prettier or more developed than all the other babies in the world.  I'm certainly no different.  Every time Grace learns anything new, I see it as evidence that she's not just an ordinary baby picking up new skills on a normal schedule but instead some kind of superbaby, the next step in human evolution.  This tendency also makes me see things that aren't quite there.

For example, I've been absolutely convinced that Grace has been on the verge of crawling since she was two months old.  With any sort of progress, whether it was reaching out with her arms, kicking her feet, rolling over or just having a particularly determined look in her eye, I was running to set the baby gates up.  However, after months of false starts and unrealistic expectations, it looks like Grace has turned a corner and really is on the verge of crawling.

It's taken a lot of time and effort, a perfectly normal amount of time and effort of course, but Grace has figured out how to get herself up onto her hands and knees in a sort of crawling start position.  The only thing is, she hasn't figured out what to do next.  She wants to move forward but doesn't know which arm or leg to move first so she just sort of rocks until she tips over, hilariously, heartbreakingly close to crawling.  But not quite there yet.  I'd call it crawlingish.

A few of last thoughts on the video.  First, I don't have any idea what we were watching on TV, but the countryfied soundtrack isn't working for me.  I feel like Grace's determined effort should be set to a more epic soundtrack, maybe some Ennio Morricone or something.  Second, do I always sound like Kermit the Frog when I speak?  If so, why hasn't anybody told me?  Last, that's Grace's party outfit, which needs to be noted because it's incredibly adorable.

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She Writes the Songs That Make Her Whole Foot Sing

One of the unbelievable joys of being a parent is coming up with novel ways to entertain your kid.  Carrie and I both revel in the challenge, but have drastically different styles.  I tend to be more physical, playing games that get Grace moving around.  Contrastingly, as befitting an English teacher my wife tries to engage our daughter's mind with stories and songs.  Her latest single is one of Grace's favorites, and definitely the one I like the most.  So, without further ado, I give you the world premiere of the sure to be smash hit "Singin' Toes".  Enjoy!

I think we can get this played in regular rotation on Sesame Street, give that the corresponding puppet show is already worked out.

She Got Game

Despite being three years older than my sister Amy, she's been taller than me for as long as I can remember.  She sprouted past me sometime around kindergarten and never looked back.  At 6'1", she's got an inch that she'll lord over me at least until we get old and start shrinking.

Amy was always the tallest girl in her class, so naturally she found basketball - or basketball found her - at a really young age.  Now that she has a niece, and a tall one at that, basketball is one of the first things Aunt Amy has tried to pass on.  Amy gave Grace her first basketball and a hoop as a gift, which Grace absolutely adores.

I'm Sure Beetles are a Delicacy Somewhere

We've done our best to make sure Grace is eating right, following our doctor's every guideline and varying her foods to give her the things she likes most often.  Turns out though, our menu was a bit more diverse than we thought.  Yep, the thing Grace eats most often and likes the best is bug milk.

Similac Advance in delicious beetle flavor.

Since we're first time parents, you may expect Carrie and I to be in a panic about feeding Grace recalled formula, but that's not the case.  Even though she's eaten the bug infested gruel every day for the last few months, she's shown no ill effects and it doesn't lead to any serious health risks. So honestly the Similac recall gets a great big "whatever" from us.  If the urban legend is to be believed, we've all eaten a few whole spiders in our sleep, so what's the big deal about a little bit of ground bug powder?

Meeting the Mouse

My mother is a pretty big fan of all things Disney.  More than pretty big, actually.  Obsessive.  Well, maybe a step down from obsessive.  Lets go with dedicated lifelong fanatic.  Anyway, I bring this up because I was going through Grace's closet the other day and came across a Mickey Mouse doll that was buried under an avalanche of clothes and toys.  Given my mom's appreciation for the Mouse, I thought it'd be nice to record Grace and Mickey's first meeting for posterity.  Of course, I thought this after their first meeting had already occurred, so this is their second encounter.  It went pretty much the same as the first though.

Mickey was of course enamored by Grace, while, as she does most things, my daughter found Mickey to be delicious.  Grace didn't really notice my spot on Mickey Mouse voice over, but who can blame her, she had feet to eat.

Things They Don't Tell New Parents #164

Every once in a while, a baby will throw up directly on your face when you're burping her. 

I need a shower and something to wipe this experience from my mind.

Guess We Have to Stock Up on Baby Toothpaste

For the past three months, Carrie and I attributed all of Grace's otherwise unexplained bad moods and sleepless nights to the start of teething.  And, for three months we've been wrong.  That all changed about a week ago, when not one but two teeth cut their way through her bottom gums.

Yeah it's blurry.  You try taking a picture of a wiggling baby.

I'll Teach You to Leave Without Me

Grace's grandparents all love hosting sleepovers for the baby, and once every month or so Carrie and I are more than happy to oblige.  As parents, it's good to get away for a bit to blow off some steam and not be on infant alert at every moment, so it's an incredible blessing that our parents live so close and are so excited to spend time with Grace.

Last weekend was such an opportunity, as we dropped off Grace with my in-laws and headed upstate for a night with some friends.  The Saturday night party was a lot of fun and everything seemed to go off without a hitch, at least until went to pick up our daughter Sunday afternoon.  Grace was furious at us for leaving her behind and spent the rest of the day letting us know all about it.

PPPLLLLLFFFFFFFPPPPTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!

Grace, Carrie and I are all huge fans of funny noises and funny faces.  Mommy and daddy will do just about anything to for a laugh, and baby is always more than happy to oblige

As Grace gets older though, our comic mannerisms are starting to have a side effect.  Namely, mimicry, which our little lady is quickly mastering.  If we stick our tongues out, she sticks her tongue out.  If we make a silly noise, she parrots it back as best she can.  The pinnacle of Grace's pantomiming happened today, right while I was trying to feed her lunch.

Ten minutes of Grace teaching herself how to spit just like mom and pop brought a sudden end to mealtime, leaving daddy covered in peaches and baby thoroughly amused.  It was as scary as it was funny however, as Grace was turning purple from the effort.  No worries though, we're going to spend the rest of the day teaching her how to stop and take a breath.

Next Stop Sea World

Carrie and I taught Grace how to play catch today.  We were at grandma and grandpa's house where there was a beachball lying around.  Since it's colorful and a thing, Grace was immediately fascinated by it, so we let her handle it for a bit.  After a minute or so, she dropped it and we handed it back.  Another minute, another drop and so on for a while.

Eventually Carrie decided to try tossing the ball to Grace instead of handing it to her, and she snatched out of the air on her first try, a pure natural.  Amazed and excited, we kept playing for an hour, taking the ball directly from Grace's hands instead of waiting for her to drop it most of the time.

Toward the end of our catch session, Grace decided to unveil a second skill, not satisfied by just learning how to catch.  We tossed her the ball, which she trapped against the side of her body.  Then, she pushed the ball up over her shoulders and balanced perfectly on the top of her head.  Just like a trained seal.

She stalled it long enough for me to take
out my cell phone and take this picture

Jiu Jitsu? I'm Going to Learn Jiu Jitsu?

For the most part, babies learn incrementally, picking up new skills bit by bit through trial and error.  For example, Grace has seemed to be on the verge of crawling for months, and is now at the point where she's got everything down except for actually moving forward.

Once in a while though, Grace seems to learn new things in giant leaps, as if they were downloaded directly into her brain like Keanu Reeves in The Matrix but if Keanu was a better actor.  Last Monday was one of those days.  From the moment Grace woke up, it was like she was a totally different person.

Our Little Author

My wife is an English teacher, a profession chosen because of a lifelong love for the written word.  So it should come as no surprise that telling Grace stories and teaching her how to read and write were among the thing's Carrie was most looking forward to upon becoming a parent.

It turns out, Grace is a very quick study.  This morning, mom sat baby in front of the computer to teach her a little about letters, numbers, cause and effect.  Enthralled by the keyboard and blank word document, Grace was filled with inspiration.  Within moments, she began putting word to digital page and authored her first story, which is hanging on our refrigerator at home and reproduced after the break for your enjoyment.

She's Hiding a Tunnel Behind a Justin Bieber Poster

Baby Grace got sent to the clink this morning.  Her crime, waking up too early for mom and dad.  Her punishment, 45 minutes of hard time.  She did get a single cell and a bunch of her toys since, like Andy Dufresne, she's helping the wardens take money from the government.  Here's a clip from her first day in juvi (or Joovy).

The Poop Rating Scale

No one tells you this before you become a parent, but as it turns out, one of your most important jobs as a caregiver is to monitor your baby's bowel movements.  How much?  How often?  What color and consistency?  Knowing the answers to these questions and recognizing when the answers change is of the utmost importance in monitoring a newborn's health.  The 1st signs of sickness can often be seen in an unusual number 2.

Now, I'm a mature, responsible man.  A husband and father, a homeowner, college educated with an accomplished professional resume.  I'm more than able to get past the grossness and take a clinical approach to doody duty.  Still, like every other man in the world, there's a part of me that still thinks and acts like a 13-year old, and having the daily opportunity to describe poops has been a delight to my less sophisticated sensibilities.  This combination of the need and want to talk openly, accurately and ridiculously about each and every excrement led to the creation of the Poop Rating Scale.

Fine Dining

I'm no foodie, as anyone who knows me will certainly attest.  Well into my late 20's, my idea of three square meals consisted of cookies for breakfast, a condiment-free, topping-free salami sandwich for lunch and fast food or a microwave meal for dinner.  To be honest, not a whole lot has changed now that I'm domesticated.  My wife has helped me turn the tide against McDinners and I'm good for a veggie every other day or so, but beyond that I'm still a nutritional lost cause.  I bring this up because Gracie already has a more adventurous palate and well-rounded diet than I do despite being less than five months old.

The Last Month or So - A Retrospective

Since I took a little blogging vacation, I had a bunch of pictures stored up that didn't make their way into individual posts, so I figured I'd put them all up together since Grace's cuteness needs to be shared with the world.  Enjoy!

The best pic of Grace so far.

Gracie the Giant, The Eighth Wonder of the World

Well, maybe mostly head.

Height runs in my family.  I'm 6'0", my sister is 6'1", my dad is 6'3" and I've got uncles as tall as 6'5".  Not to mention Carrie, who checks in at an above average 5'7".  So we expected to have a tall baby, which was confirmed from her first sonogram pictures showing a baby that was all arms and legs.

That said, we were in a surprise when we took Grace to the pediatrician for her 4-month checkup.  We could tell visually that Gracie got taller since her 3-month visit, but when the nurse put her on the table she measured 26 inches, a shocking 2 1/2" inches longer than the last month.  So shocking in fact that the nurse was compelled to measure her a second time and then the doctor a third time, the both of them believing that such a spurt had to be a mistake.

Down for the Count

It's been a constant amazement to me just how quickly Gracie has learned new abilities.  New skills have debuted at a furious pace of late, all appearing out of the blue.  When I hold her, she can smoothly and rapidly turn her head all the way to the right, then to the left and back again.  At the doctor's last week, she was on the table and rolled over for the first time.  Just the other day, I was holding her binky until she pushed my hand away, grabbed it, spit it out and put it back in her mouth on her own.  And last night, she showed off her most impressive talent to date.